Like many other Bay Area cities, Piedmont officials have concerns about planned aerial spraying for the Light Brown Apple Moth, a highly destructive pest.

Public Works Director Larry Rosenberg will ask the City Council at an April meeting to take a position opposing the aerial spraying, following suit with several other Bay Area cities. He is preparing a series of comments to the CDFA’s draft environmental report on the program.

While the state Department of Food and Agriculture says that planned eradication efforts are safe, many are worried about possible health effects from spraying urban areas. Hundreds of people filed reports following spraying last year in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, claiming they suffered respiratory distress, headaches and other symptoms.

Aerial spraying is scheduled to begin in the Bay Area this summer from Marin County down through Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. East Bay cities targeted include Piedmont, Albany, Oakland, Emeryville, Richmond, Berkeley, El Cerrito and El Sobrante.

The concern for possible health hazards to humans and pets brought out more than 100 protesters Monday at the state Capitol. Legislators are scrambling to introduce bills that would protect cities from any future pesticide programs, even if the current program cannot be halted.

Unless efforts are somehow thwarted, the state Department of Food and Agriculture plans a multi-pronged approach to wipe out the unwanted moth that migrated from New Zealand likely on plant material. That includes placing twist-ties coated with pheromones in small pockets of infestation to disrupt the breeding cycle of the moths, using stingless parasitic wasps to treat the larvae and spraying of a pheromone male moth attractant in areas with heavier infestation.

Piedmont resident Margaret Ovendin said she was concerned about the inert ingredients in the spray. It has not been used in urban areas, nor have long-term toxicity effects been studied enough.

State Department of Food and Agriculture program director Robert Dowell tried to assure Piedmont council members March 3 that “there is no concrete link between spray and the resulting illness (reported) as of yet.”

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not want these pests in California and the United States,” Dowell said.

Federal and state officials, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, support the spraying of a synthetic pheromone that disrupts the moth’s mating cycle.

Officials say a delay could cause $160 million to $640 million in damage to California crops and plants. The light brown apple moth feeds on more than 2,000 different kinds of plants and trees, including cypress, oak, willow, Monterey pine and roses. Crops include fruit and nut trees, berries, pumpkins, beans and carrots.

Dowell said the state is testing three new formulas for the spray that consists of 98 percent water, the pheromones and trace amounts of inert ingredients. Last year’s use of CheckMate pesticide generated widespread health concerns.

In other business the council:

Havens parent Mark Becker presented his design and concepts for a proposed new Havens campus. He requested the City Council to assist with funding of $1 million to $1.5 million to cover construction of a community playfield and Schoolmates facility.

The council supported the use of grant funds of about $30,000 from StopWaste.org and the California Department of Conservation to create a recycling outreach education program.